Due to the time of release, Hallowen, and the author, Jordan Castillo Price and her vampires and psycops, I was expecting something "paranormal" from this seasonal novella, and instead, to my surprise and delight, it was a very nice, and normal, romance, with a good love story.Tony was in a bad accident and now, even if he is the younger of the Potosi's brothers, he is also the weaker, the one the other two look after, the one who has to do the less heavy jobs... losing his status of "body", the man who could do everything, is for Tony like losing a bit of his masculinity. Then he does a job for David, the man who bought the old house Tony and his brothers thought haunted when they were young, and when Tony goes there the first time, he doesn't know what to expect. For sure he isn't expecting David, and the sudden sexual sparks the man arise in him and the mutual interest. David doesn't look at Tony like a broken man, he looks at him like a fine piece of meat he can't wait to taste. And Tony is both excited than perplexed. David comes to him in a so strong way, that Tony is almost scared: has David an hidden agenda that Tony can't find out?
There is a little surprising turn in the story, nothing big, but it gives to all the novella a meaning more. Other than that, what I enjoyed was the slightly May/December relationship between David and Tony, and also the reverse play of Top and bottom: David is older than Tony, forty-something against not yet thirty, and he is the one who is straightforward in proposing Tony, actually Tony is the one who asks to step back a bit, to have more time, but when they finally arrive to share a bed, David leaves the upper hand, and position, to Tony. I think that was absolutely necessary for Tony, he needed to prove to another but above all to himself, that he was still "man" enough, that he wasn't broken.
Another thing I liked was Tony's relationship with his brothers Chip and Sal, and their Italian heritage. It wasn't so much developed, but the classical tight-knit Italian family was there, and I wouldn't have minded to read a little more on them, how they deal with Tony's homosexuality, something they know and seem to accept, but that probably was not easy at first.
http://jcpbooks.com/#sympathy
The Rainbow Awards: Third (and last!) Phase: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/85035
This is the classical example of short story that makes me love so much J.M. Snyder: it's a sweet and tender story, a bit naughty but not too much, and there is no sex at all. It's erotic without being pornographic, and it's all about the feelings, feelings that are simple and warm, like a homemade pie with a spicy taste.Chris and Lee were old time friends, they met when they were still children and never be apart from that moment. Chris is the smaller of the two, in age and body, but he is actually the leader: what Chris wants, Lee does, and every single desire of Chris is like a duty for Lee. It's obvious that Lee is madly in love with Chris, but Chris doesn't really see his friend. Lee is like an old blanket, comfortable and warm, something you always search in the colder nights, but then, the morning after, you leave it at home while you go on with your day-to-day life. And Lee is too shy and unselfish to pretend more from his best friend, it's enough for him that Chris always comes back to him.
But something is changed, Chris has a boyfriend, and now, it's Barry that always comes first. It's on Barry that Chris, a tattoo artist, wants to try new things, Barry is like a blank canvas and Lee instead is already full of their past history together, an history that's inked on Lee's body. Lee is like Chris's photobook, instead of pictures of Chris in different stage of his life, there are his tattoo, from the beginning to the last, all on Lee's body.
Now Chris has to realize that what he has always wanted is right there and he hasn't to search for new shores, he already met the love of his life 20 years ago.
http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/Ta
The Rainbow Awards: Phase 2: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/82368
First of all, strange events in the publishing industry I'm not aware of, made that the first book in the series was out with Starbook Press, and this second with Cleis Press. True, it's not necessary to read The Cross of Sins to understand and enjoy The Riddle of the Sands, but without it you loose one of the most interesting aspect of this novel, the fact that it's the quintessence of all the gay fantasies, and probably the result of a lively imagination fed with lot and lot of adventures movies and books. There is one for every taste in the Fathom's Five: you like them careless and friendly, like a homemade dish? Shane, the Western modern cowboy is your man. You like them exotic and fascinating, like an ethnic speciality? Eden, brazilian doctor is ready for you. Young and fast, like burger and fries, but served in a china plate? Will, the son of an American ambassador and part time history student, part time pro football player is on the drive through. Traditional and just with that spicy taste? Luca, Italian dongiovanni and former art model, ready to please. And last but not least, you like coffe and donuts? Jake, half mercenary half good hearted man, is always a right choice. All right, now I'm hungry, and Geoffrey Knight's novel is the only one that can satisfy all those fancy ideas. It's useless that I summarize the story, first since I can't do that without giving to much details and risking to spoil the story, and second since, truth be told, the story is classic, like all the adventure books of the last 100 years, there is something to find, there are the good boys who are always first on the place, and there are the bad boys who always follow closely. The good boys are doing that not for money, but for a bigger and worthier reason, and the bad boys are only interested in finding a treasure. What I probably liked best in this second book is that the adventure seemed more innocuous, there were less dead bodies around, and probably there were also more funny moments. I liked very much Will's scenes with his estranged father, and was very interesting in the apparently sweet love story between Jake and Sam, even if, actually, since it is soo sweet (meaning that without sex or anything sexual at all), I didn't understand if Jake has a fatherly interest in Sam or something more personal. My favorite from the previous book, Luca, has only a secondary role here, but I think the author is thinking at something special for him, and I had the strong impression that, the author himself, through the words of Professor Fathom, let the reader know that Luca is also his favorite. Eden and Shane have their own little story going, and it's Shane's turn to have a little sexy story on the side, as Eden had in the previous book; they are important supporting role, and the author is always kind with them, but they have not yet achieved the upper level like Will, Jake and Luca.
The Riddle of the Sands is a surprisingly easy and fast book to read, I thought to have just started it and when I realized that I was more than half the book away. For me it's a compliment, it means that I was so sucked into the story, that I lost track of the time.
Amazon: Riddle of the Sands
Amazon Kindle: Riddle of the Sands
Series: A Fathom's Five Adventure
1) The Cross of Sins: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/64007
2) The Riddle of the Sands
The Rainbow Awards: First Week results: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/81134
Horror and romance with an healthy dose of eroticism is a not easy mix to deal with, and also a quite strange combination, that it would have made me wonder if I didn't read something on the author's bio that helped me to understand better the book. I think that, in a way, this book serves to the author to exorcise a sad past experience, and maybe to find in it an "odd" happily ever after that he didn't have in the real life. Alex and Tony were a married and perfect couple; they were perfect since they weren't perfect, meaning that despite the love for each other, they were aware of the other faults, and willing to forgive for the joy to be together. Alex is an artist with a quite disorderly past, but in Tony he seemed to find a balance; sometime he still had some out-tracks, mostly with his friend with benefits Corey, but Tony knew and allowed it. This didn't mean that Tony didn't care, but only that he knew that, for having Alex in his life, he should have allowed him some freedom. And then it was not that Tony was not incline to a sporadic derailment here and there, only that, on the contrary of Alex, he was more inclined to a "stranger" body, someone who was there in the moment and soon forgotten. Both Alex, having sex with his best friend, that was almost a brotherly thing, then Tony, having sex with strangers who didn't mine his steady relationship, are faithful in their way to each other. As I said, they were a perfect couple.
But then a strange virus takes Tony, if not to death but almost near: Alex's husband is in coma and it's months already and no doctor seems to have an answer. To be near to his lover, and probably to lessen the burden of a full house, Alex rents an apartment in a building that was a former library. In Alex's main room 12 statues representing the Zodiac are personified by 13 naked men (2 for the Gemini), all beautiful even when half-beast. As soon as Alex sees them, he starts to fantasize about having sex with one or more of that Signs, and this is the moment the reader starts the voyager with him; so yes, it's not exactly a good start since, let be sincere, having sexual fantasies involving half-man half-beast characters while your husband is dying in an hospital? it doesn't put you in a good light. But strange to say, from the first scene where Alex describes in details the physical attributes of the statue (and even if it was strange for what I said before, I felt like Alex was betraying his lover, it was a well written scene), more Alex indulges in his sexual fantasies, and more I feel him being nearer to Tony.
The first scenes are tamed, not even full intercourse, and so the feeling of betrayal towards Tony is stronger: Alex is healthy and he is having fun, how he could possibly be really upset for his husband's condition? but then the sexual fantasies shift in nature, even if Alex still enjoys the sex, it's more and more a pain and pleasure game, and I feel like Alex is "forced" to enjoy it, two times it even felt to me almost like a rape. More the games become extreme, less they are healthier, and more Alex is near Tony. There is a balance they have to reach, or Alex has to loose his strength to be near Tony, or Tony has to gain renewed force to come out from the coma.
More Alex is having sex with stranger (and strange creatures) and more I feel him in love with Tony; if I think well, there are very few sex scene between Alex and Tony, most of them a remembrance, and almost never the two of them alone, but despite all of this, I could really feel the bond between them. Beforehand, I would haven't said that the two would have been my ideal couple, but I was wrong. All the theories I could have on the behavior of Alex (he is coping with the pain trying to affirm life through sex, he is trying to diffuse the pentup energy he is not able to dispel through those fantasies), all of them are presented and explained in the novel as possible reasons, the authors know them well and he is not trying to be obscure. More, he was able to write an horror romance that, till the end, is not clear to the reader if what Alex is living is actually a real experience, or only the projection of his pain.
I wouldn't say that this novel is light, even if there are some slightly funny moments, especially in Corey's character, or in the daisy chain of doctors who try to help Alex and Tony. Probably this is only a point more on Hal Bodner's skill to mix different elements in a particular but very interesting romance. Mind you though, it's not probably cup of the tea for the most traditional romance readers.
http://www.ravenousromance.com/fantastic
Amazon: In Flesh and Stone
Amazon Kindle: In Flesh and Stone
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Tim is a country boy at heart. He is from a small town USA, farm county, but on the contrary of most young people like him, he loves to live there, he loves the warm atmosphere and that everyone knows everyone else and you care for your neighbor. Maybe most of this attitude is due to the fact that Tim grew up in an accepting family, orphan when he was few years old he was brought up by his aunt and her husband, a couple that had lost hope to have a son for their own. Being older than ordinary parents and old fashioned, they never spoke loudly of the nephew's sexual preferences, but they neither made him feel uncomfortable or unwelcomed. Problem is that the small town didn't do the same and Tim ended up in an abusive relationship with a same age man. Being alone and desperate for love, Tim mistook his relationship with Aaron for love and it took him 10 years to understand the truth. And it was never his own understanding, but he was forced to face the reality: Aaron got married with a woman and wanted for Tim to continue being his little dirty secret as always.Despite loving his family and the place where he lives, Tim understands that it's time to leave. He takes the first bus out of town, without real destination. Three days later he is in a diner just out of Austin, waiting for the next bus to leave. The place is like a mirror of his own life, only at the contrary: the nephew of the owner of the diner, a young gay man, living in an accepting environment and with a boyfriend who is not ashamed to openly love him, wants something different for his life; he wants the glittering of the big city, and suddenly leaves the place and the job. Tim is just there to take his place and his life: he has now a job in a place where more or less, everyone else is gay or gay friendly; it's a bit an utopical place, above all in Texas, but it's a small place in the world. The secret is to not leave the border of the diner, and life can be good.
In few days Tim has a new life, a new job, a new place where to live and also a possible new boyfriend, Bernie. Bernie is a long haul truck driver, who periodically stops at the diner before going home in Austin. Even if he has the body of a trucker, big, strong and reserved, Bernie is odd around the edges; he is very gentle and very cultured, he lives in a good neighborhood, he has his own property and drives expensive cars... there is something strange in him, but it's not a "bad" strange, more another fairy tale piece to the dreamy atmosphere of the diner.
The story is sweet and simple, as I said almost fairy tale. Everything for Tim clicks in the right way if he lives inside the protective shield of the diner; and if he has to leave, it's enough for him to bring along someone like Bernie, that is part of that dream. The story is not a paranormal tale, but more a contemporary tale with a lot of optimism; the bad big world is out there, and it's not that is not acknowledge, the author only prefers to cover it up with a veil that soothe off the sharpness of it.
As always, both in contemporary stories than fantasy than paranormal, T.A. Chase adds the right dose of sex, good, healthy and with just enough details to satisfy.
http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/No
Amazon: Nowhere Diner: Finding Love
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This book is different from the usual novels I was used to read by this author. First, it's shorter, a novella instead of a long novel; and second it has a bittersweet undertone that runs throughout from beginning to end, something that makes the novella less lighter, not sad, on the contrary there is even sometime when a smile spontaneously blossom on your face, but it's not a full laughter, it's more a warm slight rise up of the corner of the mouth. The main theme of the book is the research of the perfect blue, the same blue you can see in the inside of the flames, something you don't expect to see among all those reds; it's the same perfect blue of a mountain lake, and like the mountain lake, the book transpire peace and comfort, more than thrill and chaos, like the mountain streams that suddenly die in the peaceful water of the lake. The story is like that, a sudden moment of peace among the chaos that is the life of both characters.Adam is a firefighter and he saves Jared from the fire that destroys his house. He is not able to save also the house, he is impotent since a big fire is roaring around and they are out of water. In a way, the impotence Adam is feeling is not heightened by Jared's reaction to the loss of his house: Jared is like fallen into a trance, in few words he explains to Adam that the house was the last project of his husband, a famous architecture, and losing the house is like losing once again his husband, died few months ago of cancer.
As easily as the water flows, the story moves up of some weeks, and we find Adam visiting Jared in a private clinic; Jared is depressed and he has not found a reason to come out of his trance. Adam understands that Jared needs a shock, and practically forces the man to come with him in Colorado, in the mountain cabin his family own there. The main reason is to show Jared the mountain lake with the perfect blue water the same color apparently Jared is searching. The real reason is that Adam is fallen in love with the man and wants to shake him off from the prison of his memories.
Even if Adam has all the good intentions of this life, unfortunately he is not doing the right thing. Jared fell in love with his very much older husband when he was still a teenager, and from that moment on he lived in the shadow of the bigger than life man beside him. Even if Jared was talented, his light was obscured by his husband's genius and little by little, Jared disappeared. When his husband died, apparently also Jared died. The fire was not a trauma, probably instead was a way to freedom. Inside the fire and in the eyes of the man who saved him, Jared finds something that pushed him a little more out from his self-imposed prison. The journey in Colorado helped some more, but if Jared accepts the love offered by Adam, it would be only like falling in another prison: where his husband was older and genius, Adam is younger and full of life, but both of them are men that can obscure Jared if he first doesn't find his way in the world. To be happy with Adam, Jared has to finish his growing process, the one that was interrupted by his husband when he took Jared with him. Even if Jared is 37 years old, he is still more or less a teenager if compared to Adam.
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Cover Art by Anne Cain
Due to the title I was expecting for the two stories in this anthology to be linked by the art world setting, but it was interesting to read how many other points of connection there were, two of them quite obvious: both mysteries are set in a small community, an island, the type of gated community where the rich and famous go to live during summer or to retire. And both of mysteries turn around a murder without a body, the died man is disappeared, but no one knows how. Lovers and Other Strangers by Josh Lanyon
Finn is an artist; he is born in a family of artists and everyone expect from him to be the good twin, since his brother Fitch is the bad boy. While Finn has a strong bond with Seal Island, the place were he was raised, and he wouldn't want anything else if not living there and paint, Fitch has the wandering feet, always in search of something or someone new. And then a summer, Finn fell in love with Con, a neighbor he has known for all his life, but that summer was different. The relationship started as a summer fling, but for Finn was something more. And so when he discovered Con in an passionate embrace with Fitch, Finn had not the force to face it and ran away from them and the island. Now three years later, convalescent from a very bad car accident, Finn comes back home to find the peace that Seal Island always gave him. It doesn't matter if he has to face Fitch and Con, if they are living together, they have already stolen him his happiness, they can't steal him also his home. But when he arrives to Seal Island, he finds out that Fitch is disappeared three years before, the same day Finn left the island... No one knew what happened to him and the last person that probably saw him alive was Con, the same Con that now is telling Finn that he misses him and that also for Con was love, and not only a summer fling.
The plot turns mainly around the two twins, Finn and Fitch, and their story. There is a romance, but it's only a subplot, and it remains always in second line. Con is a nice man, but I have the feeling that he is more a dream, an unattainable man for Finn, and that if he suddenly becomes true, Finn maybe would be not more so interest in him. I have the feeling that Finn is more in love of the idea to be in love than of the man. On the other hand the mystery is really good, and since the community is so small, everyone has a reason to want Fitch dead, and everyone could be the guilty man. No one has a real alibi for that day and so it's nearly impossible to find out the culprit before the end of the story. The strange thing is that the only one who seems to mourn the loss of Fitch is his twin Finn, the one who probably has more reason than one to hate him. But as it is said in the book, and how you can understand from what I said, Finn is a good and nice guy, with not real bad feeling in him. And so, since Fitch wasn't loved so much, the reader is not in an hurry to find out who killed him.
Body Art by Jordan Castillo Price
The second story is maybe a little more strange, but basically with the same turning point. Ray arrives in a gated community on an island, Red Wing Island. He will be the new driver for a old and wealthy couple, the Whites. It's not clear how it happened, I summarized that his former lover probably has some responsibility, but Ray lost his business, a tattoo parlor, and now he is full of debt. A live in work is exactly what he needs, even if the arrangement is not exactly top of the notch. The house where he goes to live is isolated, Ray has no his own car, and in the house there are an old man with Alzheimer and three women... and being Ray gay, well, it means that he will be pretty lonely. Then in the wood near the house he meets Anton, the crazy artist who lives in a nearby cottage. And when I say crazy, I don't mean that he does strange sculpture, I mean that he is really crazy. Anton is a bipolar case, he tried to kill himself in the past, and he has moody up and down. But he is also really beautiful, and gay, and maybe since he is lonely, or maybe since, in the crazy situation he is in, Anton doesn't seem so crazy after all, Ray falls soon and hard for him. In two day they are lovers, and in one day more, a dead man is found in the wood: he is Stanley, the former driver, and apparently Anton's previous friend. Again everyone in the small community have reason to hate Stanley, and everyone could be the guilty.
This time the romance is a little more center stage, on the contrary of the previous story, the murder is not so important, maybe since the murdered is not someone so much involved with the hero. Ray has no real reason to find out who killed Stanley, he is more interested in find out that it wasn't Anton who did it. The nice thing is that, in a way or the other, Anton is really a unsteady man, someone that probably will be never able to live alone on his own. If Ray decides to bring on their relationship, he will be always the rock, with time he will become the caretaker... but he sees Anton with a lover eyes, and he is willing to do so.
http://www.mlrbooks.com/ShowBook.php?boo
http://www.aspenmountainpress.com/new-re
Amazon: The Art of Dying: Partners in Crime #4
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Cover Art by Anne Cain
Jordan Castillo Price is probably the only author I can read who presents me with needles, syringes and blood, and I find it sexy. I'm quite the squirmy type, I don't think how being punctured and bleeding can be sexy, but if it's done by an alluring pale and long dark haired artist, well maybe I can make an exception. As probably would do Mark, the man who is lucky enough to find that man. In an alternative near future, where the vampirism virus exceed the HIV one, becoming more common and lethal, there are still few cities that allow vampire to live within their limit. Chicago is one of them, and it's here that Jonathan found his shelter; he is an artist, an Hungarian refugee, and a vampire. He is also handsome and wealthy, but a bit strange. Not artist "strange", more like he is a son of some alien planet who fell on Earth by accident. He doesn't talk of his "illness" (drinking blood is something you do in private), he is more than reclusive, even when it's night and he can go out, and he drinks only cat's blood. And before you ask, no, he doesn't kill the cats, he pays one of those old ladies with more cats than fleas to dry a bit her kittens in exchange of money. Obviously all these ordinary tasks are not brought on by Jonathan himself, he has a dogsboy for that, even if Mark is maybe a bit too old for the task.
Almost forty years old, Mark is the classical manquè artist turned art critic turned artist valet. Plus Mark is also gay, something that now maybe it's no more the crime it was, being a vampire is worst, but still it's not exactly cheered upon. Where Jonathan is reclusive and aloof, Mark is always complaining for something: he has not enough time to do everything (even if everything is only do some errands for Jonathan), he has not a boyfriend, he is not as handsome as a vampire... he is probably the only man that, while being followed by a killer and running for his life, can be disappointed by how the jeans he picked up in a store doesn't fit well. And maybe he is not the only one, but one of the best merit he finds in being a vampire, is the chance to be skinny and fabulous.
It's strange, usually in a pair there is always a leader and a follower, and here the obvious conclusion is that Mark should be the second, but neither of them have really the aurea to be leader. Don't get me wrong, they are not weak or submissive, it's only that they are almost alike, at the same level. Maybe Jonathan is the more experienced, but he has not the streak to be on the spotlight, more the people don't notice him and more he is happy. On the other hand Mark can be a primadonna, but he is too squirmy to be an adventurer; and it's strange since at 6 and half feet he is a bit too macho man to be flamboyant... I was almost expecting here and there for him to cry on his broken nails.
Then there is the love story. Again not what you will expect. As I said, probably the most romantic encounter they have is when they share blood, obviously with the aid of a needle, don't let happen that such a vulgar action happens with the use of real teeth and spit. One of the most romantic thing Mark said to Jonathan is that, if it wasn't for the virus, he would have swallowed... enough clues to frame our heroes? But despite it all, I really feel the love between Mark and Jonathan, not always sex and sex and sex is the only way to convey that feeling. I really think that Jonathan is a really reserved man, and it's not easy for him to express his feelings; and Mark is probably the same, and even if a little bitchy, he is always ready to help Jonathan, even if it means the last sacrifice, his blood... but only with a needles between them!
http://samhainpublishing.com/romance/hem
Amazon Kindle: Hemovore
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Bought and Paid For is, as the title suggests, a bit of Cinderfella story mixed with Romeo and Jules. Deacon and Parker were in love, both young, successful and happy, Deacon an art dealer and Parker a young promising oncologist. True, their life was not perfect, Parker worked long hours, but Deacon loved him so much that was always ready to comfort and wait for him. Then Deacon's father, a Senator, put a veto on this relationship, it was unacceptable for his son to be gay, and he swore to destroy every man in Deacon's life. Here maybe is the only side that I didn't like so much about Deacon, he had not the strength to oppose to his father, but, as the story was planned, it was also maybe the only good thing to do. Deacon staged a fake cheating and obviously Parker left him with a broken heart, but still with his beloved work as a doctor.Two years later Deacon's father is dead, and without being missed by his son or his employees, and Deacon is free to try to conquer Parker again. A charity bachelor action is a good chance and now Deacon has also the money to be sure that he will be the higher bidder. From that moment on, the story is pretty much a sweet romance, with the revelation that, despite two years apart, both men are still deeply in love.
Both Deacon than Parker are apparently strong men, tall and handsome, but they are also easily wounded when feelings are involved. Basically they are two romantic hearts, they believe in forever and only love and being forced to be apart was almost their death, at least from a emotional point of view. They are like those animals that bound only one time in their life and when one of the mate dies, the other soon follows him.
The author has the chance to push a lot on the angst button, but she chooses to dose it; with Parker's job it would have been easy to arise sympathy for him, and instead she only gave a glimpse on it when serves her to describe how caring Deacon was for his lover. Other than that, more than on the angst button, she chooses to push on the emotional one. Deacon's choice how to use his inherited money, his actions towards Parker, but also Parker's easy conquest, due to his love for Deacon, are all thought to make the reader smile and dream, more than make him cry.
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Brushback is the example of a lost pearl; actually it's not so lost, it's the first work of a new author, Jamie Scofield, and first offer of a new publisher, Dancing Fools Press. They are both so new that I haven't any info on the author, so I don't know his/her background, but I have to say that the book feels a lot "mature" than a first try.Up front I would also like to highlight that this is probably a novel that appeal to readers who like a good mystery and not so much to who like for their novel to be more sexy than erotic. First in a series, the Evan Austin Mystery series, it features that's so Evan Austin, former police detective and now high paied private investigator. Evan is sophisticated, smart and a bit "aloof". He is not the usual PI with a lot of skills but few acknowledgment, on the contrary, Evan not only has a secretary, he has also other two employees who work for him full time. Plus a wide net of connections, most of them among the very important people. So Evan moves in the high society, has no money problem, and can decide if accepting or not a case: Evan has a moral code, and he reserves his right to decide if paying clients are the good or the evil in the story.
All above is about Evan as PI; but there is also Evan in his private life. Evan is gay, not out and proud, but neither in the closet. I think that Evan beliefs in true love, but he was burned. His former partner left him after a very dramatic even, with the excuse that he couldn't tolerate the risk of Evan's profession. After that Evan is wary to try again and he became over analytic whenever he meets a new potential lover. Evan applies all the techniques he learned as a detective to destroy the man in front of him: even if he can see the positive side, he overweights the small negative clues, an no man surpasses the test. At least until Roman.
Evan is hired by the lawyer of a British woman over the phone to find her lost son. Finding the boy is no problem, he is living with a guardian, Roman, who was the partner of the late uncle of the kid. I will not give more details on the plot, it's part of the mystery you have to read and try to understand, enough to say that Evan has more than a passing interest on Roman. What I found really interesting is that the author didn't choose the visual "effect" to build the attraction between Evan and Roman, he/she chose to build an attraction based on little things, like the timber of voices, common interests... chemistry. Actually if I read with attention Roman's physical description, he is not at all an handsome man for the classical parameter. Anyway, when I said that the author preferred to be erotic rather than sexy, I mean that there is a subtle eroticism all over the novel, the relationship between Evan and Roman is there, and it's strong, but it never goes down to a deep physical level, no sex under the belt. Being erotic is something subtle, strong and continuous, being sexy is something light and with ups and downs... So no, there is no sex in Brushback, but don't get me wrong, there is a lot of romance, and of very high quality.
And the story? What I noticed is that the author builds a complicated plot, with a lot of clues scattered all around, some of vital importance for the mystery, some only side dishes for the main order. What was interesting, and complicated, was that, when you find them, you don't know what is what, and so your mind is continuously trying to place the missing pieces in the puzzle that is the mystery. It's engaging and I believe it is what will thrill the real mystery lovers.
The story is complex, the characters, both main than supporting, are very well developed, the mystery is good and the romance is enticing... a big bravo to Jamie Scofield for this debut novel.
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Amazon: Brushback
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Walk Among Us by Vivien DeanI appreciated in the past Vivien Dean's originality, when she gave a twist on an unusual vampire romance. Now she creates another terrific (or horrific...) novel about an former priest who sees demons...
Calvin is back on his hometown near Chicago for his father's funeral. But Calvin is not mourning the loss of his father, since the man was an homophobic who kicked him out when he found his son was gay. But Calvin managed to build a good life in New York as an appreciated artist. Actually he doesn't know why he bothers to come back, since no one in the small town seems to understand his detached behavior. And then during the funeral a sniper killed a man and Calvin sees him perfectly. Matthew is a very handsome man with a brooding behavior and tormented eyes. The artist in Calvin is immediately attracted by this perfect image, and the man in Calvin is attracted by the handsome man.
In an usual romance, you would expected that Calvin is horrified by Matthew's action, but like Calvin is detached by his father's death, he seems to be detached by all the little world around the man. Calvin doesn't know the man Matthew killed, and he is more interesting in Matthew, than in the act he did. Probably Calvin closed something in his soul when his father kicked him out, he hid in the safe of his heart all the emotions, and now he has like a shield around him. A shield that protects him from the demons.
The demons prey on the mourning souls, and this is the reason why Matthew was at the funeral of Calvin's father. Matthew is only a man, not an hero. He is not thrilled by the idea to have the skill to see demons, and if possible, he avoids the crowd, so he has less chance to see demons. But here and there, Matthew's conscience nags him and he needs to do something to stop the demons. So he goes to funeral, the likely place to find mourning soul. But this time is not a relative of the dead who is mourning: Calvin doesn't regret his father's death, and so he is not the target for the demon.
The book is not very long, less than 90 pages, but it's very well plotted. It mixes very well the demon's matter with the erotic part, and the two erotic scenes in the book are really good and arousing. Calvin's character is a bit more developed than Matthew, even if probably Matthew is the most intriguing. All in all another very good book by Vivien Dean.
http://www.samhainpublishing.com/romance/w
Amazon Kindle: Walk Among Us: A Calling of Souls story
If All the Sand Were Pearl by Pepper EspinozaFirst of all the setting: I would say a fantasy world... there are not high-tech elements to make it a futurist novel, and the only "modern" intrusion, is the presence of some plastic dildos... in the past there were dildos but they are made of wood, I believe. So yes, I will go for the fantasy.
Anyway, in this fantasy world, same sex marriage is not forbidden, even if it is not common for the simplest reason: wealthy families needs heirs and in a same sex marriage a natural heir is not possible. Jag is the last son of a once wealthy family; since he was born when all his other siblings were just betrothed or married, he was left with a decision: become a scholar or a priest. He set for priest and he was happy with the decision at 12 years old, but later one thing of priesthood left him "unsatisfied": chastity. Anyway he has never had a chance to be sexually active and so he really doesn't know what he is losing. He only knows that he dreams of the hard body of a man rather than that of a woman. So when financial problems push his family to negotiate an arranged marriage also for him, the only choice he is left is the gender of the betrothed... and he chooses a man.
Jag has never seen before his betrothed and he fears the wedding night. He is not sure of what expecting, and since he is rather young, also the physical appearance of the man is a huge problem for him. And then, is he enough attractive for the other man? Jag is lithe and small, he has the body of a scholar and he only knows that his betrothed is a big man used to work outside. The more innocent problems swirl in his mind, the same questions a virgin maid would have in the same situation.
Brace lost the hope to find a suitable partner long ago. He prefers man and no noble family would allow him to marry one of its son. And now he has a last chance. But he doesn't want to marry a man compelled to take a decision he doesn't like. And so he sends to Jag a gift, a very rare pearl, worthy enough to buy back his freedom and allow to him and his family a comfortable future. With that pearl in his possession, if Jag will decide to marry him, he will do that only according to his real desire.
Brace is a good man; he has no problem to find a willing partner for a one night tryst, but he wants a long term relationship. He doesn't want an husband to fill his nights, he wants a man to fill his days. Brace is true and simple like the life he likes: his horses, his travels... More than a lover he needs a companion.
In the end, you would expected for Jag to be the brooding one, the scholar type, and instead Jag unveils to be a young man waiting to be freed, and Brace could be the key to his freedom.
The story is pretty classic, and in this case "classic" is the right term, since this novel has an old fashioned style, but it's also erotic, the sex scenes are good and explicit, but always in line with the mood of the novel, even if that plastic dildos make them a bit kinky.
http://samhainpublishing.com/romance/if-a
Amazon Kindle: If All the Sand Were Pearl
No Fear in Love by Jamie CraigThis is the second story I read in the A Calling of Souls anthology by Samhain Publishing, and like the other one is a story about a night which changes forever the life of two men.
Weston and Mark were buddy friends since they were teenagers; from a small English village, they share everything since they both feel stranger among other people. Probably Weston realized before his friend what that strangeness was, he loves his friend Mark, and it's not a friendly love. But Weston probably is more cautious and probably he fears to leave the comfort of his small village life and so he searched shelter in the church and in the chastity: he became an Anglican pastor. He removed passionate love from his life and most of the time he is content with it. Not when he is with Mark.
Mark chose to leave the small village for the big city, for London. He still returns back sometime, mostly to spend time with his best friend Weston. Also Mark is gay, but he has not chosen chastity... instead he tried to search his love in a lot of men, only to realize that he has just found it, and he is Weston. So now Mark is determined to spend a night with Weston, to prove him how it could be between them, and to have at least that night for them.
And so Mark consciously seduces Weston, he destabilizes his friend beliefs, and he puts the seed of doubt in his mind; is the church only a substitute of what Weston really wants? can he risk his comfort life for the uncertainty of a life with Mark?
I like both Weston than Mark, but in both of them I found something to blame: why Weston didn't dare to fight for his love and instead chose the easy way of becoming a priest? if he knew that his friend was gay (and he knew it since he said that Mark went to him the first time he was with a man), why he lied to himself?
On the other hand Mark... perhaps he didn't realize to be in love with Weston before moving to London and realizing that he was searching the man in other partners. I could think so, and thinking in that way, I find him nicer than Weston, since he decides to do something, he decides to risk their friendship in the hope to obtain love.
The story is not very long, 60 pages, and since it's mostly a one night story, there is not much space to develop the characters. They haven't the chance to interact with other people, the issue of Weston being a priest is not so much a problem, if not for him, there is not judgment from outside. There is also no space to develop Mark and Weston's relationship as friends, to let us know how they were as young gay teens in a small village. The story is appealing and I'd like to read something more both before than after the central night.http://samhainpublishing.com/romance/no-f
Amazon Kindle: No Fear in Love: A Calling of Souls story
http://samhainpublishing.com/romance/a-c
Amazon: Calling of Souls
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Cover Art by Anne Cain
Cover Art by Anne Cain
Cover Art by Anne Cain
This is probably one of the few time in which I will not have to find the hidden reasons of the characters' behavior since the author herself gives plenty of them. She did a wonderful job in building a nice background and current setting for them and how they behave and react is in according with them.Grey is a wealthy businessman; his parents were not exactly two role models and even at 9 years old Grey knew it, and for the good of his sister and his, he convinced their grandmother to take them in. Even if life with his grandmother was good after that, Grey developed a chronic inability to trust people when his feelings are involved. It's strange, Grey's business is to give a chance to strangers with good potential, so you would believe that he is a trusting man, and instead he risks only when nothing of important is on stake, money is not important, your heart is. As an adult Grey is an apparent successful man with a satisfying life, but instead he is a repressed man with a lot of personal issues. I believe that Grey is basically a man who would love the simple things of life, a partner, a family, a nice home, and since that moment he probably provided to this needs with his special relationship with his sister. But when his sister marries and gets pregnant, Grey realizes that it's not him that is building a family, but it's his sister with another man, and Grey is not part of that. He decides to go away for a bit, claiming with himself that he is tired to see "too much" happiness around him, but it's not tiredness, it's more regret that he is not him to have it all.
On the other side of the story there is Sirus, a big man with even a bigger heart. He lives in the cabin near the one owned by Grey, and he is more than willing to welcome Grey. At first Sirus tells to himself to not get involved, but it's too much of temptation for him... Sirus, even if he is not aware of it, tends to build a nest as soon as he finds a good man. And Grey is a good man. Sirus wants a family, he wants acceptance, total acceptance for who he is and what he does. He doesn't want to fake to gain love. Sirus comes from a very loving family, but his mother seems to not accept that her son is gay. She is not rejecting him, she is rejecting the idea, and doing so, she drove him apart. Grey rebels to his family choosing a job, truck driver, that is not up to his family standards... in this way, maybe, he can convince himself that is not him being gay the reason why his mother doesn't accept him, or at least that it's not the only reason.
And so here we have two men that basically are searching the same thing, a family, but that for different reason, refuse to see that they have already found it. Grey opposes his inability to trust enough a man to allow him to be the top, and obviously arrives to the conclusion that Sirus is not the right man for him, since Sirus is not a man that can always play the bottom; Sirus opposes his sine qua non condition that a man has to accept him like that, without trying to change him, and a wealthy man as Grey probably will never consider a truck driver as a possible life partner. Both men arrive to their conclusion without even asking the other man opinion, letting their prejudices speak for them. And so, in a way, these two men are very balanced, they are both very wrong!
The nice reserve power games (who is making the bigger mistakes...) is coupled with very hot and detailed sex scenes... even if they are doubting the reasons why they are together, the two men are together and they are very much enjoying it. In particular I like the nice contrast of Grey, apparently the more refined of the two, that behaves like a dog with his favorite bone (Sirus), while Sirus, the truck driver, comes out like the more sentimental and gentle of the two.
Side note: Grey's Awakening is setting in the same cabin where a previous book in the same series, took place, the story of Grey's sister, Kelsey, who fell in love for Grey's best friend and business partner, John. And I have the idea that also Sirus made a cameo in that book, so, if you are in the mood to read a nice het romance, knowing Cameron Dane, I think that one will be a good choice.
http://www.king-cart.com/cgi-bin/cart.cg
Series: Cabin Fever
1) The Sweetest Tatoo
2) Grey's Awakening
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Cover Art by April Martinez
Apparently this was a "light" book, at least from the blurb if not from the cover (that it's quite "dark"), but after few pages I realized that it was not.It's a first point of view narration seeing through the eyes of Mike that for the umpteenth time is helping his friend Jay to move; there is even a creepy aspect on it, since Jay is used to move since a) he always chooses men who dump him b) if they don't dump him, they die. It's obvious that Jay chooses men that are not for him, and the reader starts to think that he is a bit of a butterfly and that he is blind to not see that the right man, Mike, is always there for him, near enough to be catch. On the other hand it's not that Mike chooses his partner in a better way: from having relationship with men who aren't even sure to be gay, to flirt with women well knowing that he prefers men. Both of them are in denyal, but not about who they are, but who they love.
But this time things are different, Darren, Jay's lost lover, was not one other desperate case in Jay's path toward self-destruction; Jay is really upset from his death, and Mike for the first time is jealous... and so the reader starts to sense that things are not simple as at first he though. It's not Jay who doesn't want to commit, it's Mike who always pulls back: if Jay chooses the wrong men, Mike is always sure that in the end he will come back to him, and so Mike will always be the real love for Jay, even if he hasn't to commit or speak the L word. Doesn't matter that there is no a physical relationship between Mike and Jay, the only thing Mike needs is the exclusivity on Jay's heart: a proof that Mike doesn't "think" to Jay in that way is that Mike has never realized that Jay is a dominant lover.
Mike always prided himself to be available for Jay when his friend needs him, and he probably thought to be the answer to all his trouble; but this time Mike is not able to help Jay, this time Jay realized that, doesn't matter how many men he tries to love, doesn't matter how many little pieces of their life he retains for himself, doesn't matter how many unfulfilled dreams he makes own, Jay will always miss Mike, and it's now or never with him. And Mike has to finally take that final step.
As I said the book is a little more angst than expected, and at first I was a bit disconcerted to be thrown in the middle of the story, in full play mode, but then I started to collect hints and bits here and there and ended this novella length book having enough details to comprehend the reasons of both men.
http://www.freyasbower.com/index.php?mai
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In the best James Bond or Indiana Jones tradition, the Fathom's Five are five handsome, skilled and clever gay men working for Professor Fathom as treasure hunters. Almost half the book is spent to introduce us to the five:- Jake Stone, the newest member of the group, is a bit of a lone wolf; he is "for hire", means that if you pay him enough, he will find everything you want. Jake is not a bad man, he is only used to take care of himself, and only himself. His only Achilles' heel is young Sam, a street kid he shelters in his New York loft.
- 19 years old Will Hunter is the spoiled and neglected son of an American diplomat; he has everything he wants in life, but it's never enough. Will is young, friendly and careless and in this moment he has nothing and noone important in his life (well he is only 19 years old!) and so he can play like if life is a big game.
- Shane Houston is your classical western hero, hat and horse and all of it. Always ready for an adventure, he faces every new challenge full front, caring very less for his own safety, but as an old fashioned cowboy, you can always count on him when you are in trouble.
- Dr Eden Santiago is the high head levelled of their group; he seems always in control, always ready to face every events. The less playful of the group, he is probably the one that has less open endings in his life and so, for this reason, he is the more reliable of all of them. Everyone can count on Eden, and loving him will never being an hazard.
- Luca da Roma is the most beautiful of all of them, he is beautiful like an angel, and in fact he has a very special relationship with God. Luca is an orphan and he was raised by three nuns in a remote Italian convent. He doesn't know who were his parents, but, after all, he hasn't had a bad life. When he was still a teen he went in Rome and he became the muse of a lot of artists, on the canvas and on the sheet, and as they took from him inspiration, he drank from them the love for arts. But Luca seems never to be happy, he has quite a mourning attitude and he seems in searching of something that always slips from his hands.
The new quest for this five heroes is to track down an ancient holy cross, a Renaissance artwork who caused the death of his creator since it was framed as sacrilegious. To recover the artifact our heroes have to find two stone tables and an ancient book, the three pieces together will lead them to the treasure. But obviously they are not alone in this hunting party, and their enemies know well how to hit them where it hurts, and I'm not speaking of body parts.
The book is really good in mixing fun, sex and adventure, playing all around the World, from Tonga to Italy, from Turkey to England. Our heroes, when not running away from gunshots and explosions, are involved in sexy escapades along a swimming pool or in poshy five stars hotel. There is a bit of "naughty" talk during sex, but it's never too much to ruin the sophisticated feeling that permeates all the book, and, on the other hand, the fun and careless sex helps to balance the adventure part, so that even a less adventurous reader will find it enjoyable and interesting.
All five heroes are enough developed that the reader could care for them, but from my side, my favorite is Luca, maybe since he is Italian. I have no problem to say that I will look forward to the following book in this new exciting series.
http://www.starbookspress.com/search.php?I
Amazon: Fathom's Five Volume One: The Cross of Sins (v. 1)
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When I started this book I wasn't expecting to find romance in it, since it was presented as an old classic sleuthing novel, and so you can imagine my surprise when the hero, Elliott, not only has a romance, he has THREE romance, two of them at the same time, and he is not even a slut ;-)But I will try to start from the beginning. Elliott is a very wealthy man without attitude, who chose to work not for necessity but for pleasure. He loves the olf fashioned buildings of Chicago (a thing Chicago is famous for and I can say since I wandered for the city centre searching for them when i was there) and he made a work of them: he buys a building at time, gives it new life to then selling it to trusted hands. And sometime he falls in love for a building so much that he doesn't have the heart to sell it, and so Elliott has a strange collection: where other people collect miniatures, he collects real buildings. If you find strange that I spend so much time talking of Elliott's hobby, it is since most of Elliott's passion is reserved to his love for those old buildings, on a personal level he is quite aloof, almost detached. Elliott is a real nice guy, he seems to have no problem to find a guy when he wants it, and all his past lovers are still in nice terms with him... also since Elliott is so good that he is never the one to dump, they dumped him, always pleading forgiveness... mmm, I believe that Elliott is real good to not become involved when he doesn't want it.
When the story starts, Elliott is in hospital recovering from an accident and he "feels" that someone else is in the room. Elliott, practical guy he is, soon realizes that the presence is a ghost, and it doesn't take him much to link the ghost, whose first words were, My name is John, to the John Doe who was admitted in the ER at his same time, and who unfortunately died. The ghost is not actually your usual ghost, he is as I said, a presence, he talks in Elliott's mind when said mind is free from any other thought (means when Elliott is asleep), and makes clear his presence giving strange feelings to Elliott regarding objects and pictures. The ghost apparently is suffering from amnesia, and Elliott's quest to find who he is goes pace to pace with his ability to recall little pieces of his past life. So the main mystery, the core of the book, is to find out who was John, and the author is very good in letting the reader catches only little clues here and there. I pretty much soon suspected who John was, but I had an advantage that not many of you will have. Anyway I don't want to say more on it, since as I always say, you can't summarize a mystery without risking to give up the mystery itself.
Let us instead talk of Elliott's personal life, that is for me almost as interest as the mystery itself. At the beginning of the book, Elliott is in an on / off relationship with Rick; Rick is a nice guy, but sincerely I don't feel like Elliott was really involved; and so I was not surprise when Elliott manages to be dumped again... Rick also took the guilty on himself, and Elliott told him to not worry. I was not so disappointed that the first romance in the book ended in such a cold way, since I was already planning the romance between Elliott and John, the ghost. But no, even if I'm sure to have read something more between Elliott and John than a simple utilitarian bond aimed to discover John's identity, the author has someone else in mind for Elliott. Enter Steve, a young, hot and nice latin american guy who Elliott meets in a club and the same night takes to bed. The relationship between Elliott and Steve is more interesting than the one with Rick, but still I feel like Elliott is not entirely involved, I always feel as if he is taking back something. It's strange Elliott is quite a "physical" man, he has sex both with Rick than with Steve (but not at the same time!), even if the author adopts the the "behind closed door"'s rule, the reader knows that Elliott is not shy or antisocial, but truth be told, I felt a real emotional involvement only with John, and John is not even corporeal!
In the end, maybe I'm wrong but for me the real couple here are Elliott and John; Steve is a really nice guy, even John tells so to Elliott, and the reader can't really resent him, since being John a ghost, and an incorporeal ghost, you can't pretend for Elliott to be a monk. And so here my idea that Elliott has two relationship at the same time, one with Steve involving his mind and body, and one with Elliott involving his heart; till the day mind, heart and body will devoted to the same man, Elliott for me remains an on the edge man, still waiting for something.
http://www.zumayapublications.com/title.p
Amazon: His Name Is John
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Painting from Life is a story of obsession, like it should be when you are talking of art, since only a work born from an artist who suffered to create it is worthy of that name. But in a almost Dorian Gray's twist, the artist of this short story takes strength from his art while his muse is slowly dying.The artist (without name since this is a first point of view perspective) is an unhappy married man and a struggling artist; probably the struggle for his art also caused the problem in his marriage, in a way or the other, he never seems able to reach that bliss an artist feels when he knows that he is doing something wonderful, at least at his eyes. And then, during a weekend in a seaside village he is spending with his wife trying to patch their marriage, the artist sees a very old man sitting in a bench in front of the sea; the combination of the interior loneliness of the artist, with the loneliness of the shore out of season, and the loneliness of that old man, all of them push the artist to ask the man to be his model for a day. But the artist already knows that the obsession is started and the positive answer that first paintings received is only an incentive for the artist to ask for more. I believe that, even if it was a flop, in any case the artist would have asked to Peter (this is the name of the old man) for more. In his artistic frenzy, the artist doesn't realize that Peter is dying and that being his model is only heightening his distress and probably fast pacing his decline.
On the other hand the beginning reluctance of Peter slowly dissipates, since he already knows that he has grasped all the life has to offer to him, and what few remains, he can give it to the artist. Peter is not searching for a friend or companionship to fill the void of loneliness, he is already at peace with life, he maybe only wishes to end it as it's without further changes. And so at first, maybe he sees the artist as an intrusion in his life, but then he understands that the man needs him, way more than Peter needs him, and he willingly gifts the artist with all of him, from his body (but only for an artistic purpose) to his remaining life force. From Peter's side it's not love, neither a love for art, it's more maybe a fatherly thing; from the artist's side, I don't know, maybe it's love, but that type of love that borders in obsession and that doesn't allow you to see the thing from a right perspective, everything is distorted to justify what you want to see. For now, Peter and the artist's relationship is perfect, at least from the artist's point of view, the problem will arrive when life will ask his toll on Peter.
http://www.eternalpress.ca/paintingfroml
Amazon: Painting from Life
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Cover Art by Amanda Kelsey
If you have never had the change to work with a Japanese man, you probably couldn't believe the reason why Koji is literally forced by his boss to take a one week leave from work; Koji is spending 18 hours at work, often crashing on his desktop due to the tiredness, and still he doesn't believe to be doing enough. Koji is the IT engineer for the system network of an hospital, and he is convinced that, if he misses a day, someone will die due to his negligence. Koji developed his obsession since he was a little child with an abusive father; the feeling was enhanced when he fell in love for his stepmother (an unrequited love) and had to see her die for cancer without can do anything. Loving a forbidden woman probably pushed Koji to believe that real love is something forbid, and it is not a mistake if you think that now Koji believes to be gay simply since being in love with a man is again something forbidden, something he can't have.When his boss forced him to take his vacation, Koji hurriedly decides to book a week in a men's hotel, the White Tiger, a notorious hotel in the gay neighborhood of Tokyo where men go to relax and enjoy a nice massage with a some side fringe benefit. On the inside the White Tiger is a place where lost men search shelter under the protection of Kiku, an ex jakuza enforcer that now professes the philosophy of the White Tiger, the healing power of sex. Naoto is one of those young men who entered the White Tiger after a shocking event in their life; for Naoto was seeing his chinese lover killed by the jakuza in front of their small market. After three years spent in the care of Kiku, and taking care for the hotel guests, Naoto is ready to love again, and Koji is the one he chooses to love. Even if Naoto and Koji have the same age, Koji seems much younger since Koji has never really loved in his life, at least not in a physical way.
The atmosphere of all the novel is really peaceful and slow; you have really the feeling to savor what Naoto professes, to try to relax and enjoy all the small pleasure of life. Truth be told, also Naoto has his own problem, but he has always a serene smile for Koji, and only when he realizes that Koji went beyond being a simple guest, only then Naoto allows himself to search shelter in his arm and not in the welcoming walls of the White Tiger. But also in this development of the story, the author respects a world where convenience and propriety rule, and Naoto is willing to play the role of the side lover for Koji, the one a married man goes to visit once a week. This is not unusual and it doesn't mean that Koji doesn't love Naoto or that Naoto doesn't really believe in their love, it means only that culture and custom are still very instilled in the mind of these men.
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Amazon: White Tigers: Men of Tokyo: Sudden Bliss
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Cover Art by Anne Cain
Adam is a gay country boy... I don't know but gay and country boy in the same sentence sounds strange, maybe since I'm used to read stories about young gay men who escape their little country town for the big city to finally be who they really want to be. Instead Adam went to discover the world and found that he prefers Eau Claire, Wisconsin. And why not? He has a thriving business in the high tech world he can lead by home, a old fashion farmhouse he restored all for his own, a supporting family who love him unconditionally (it seems that his mother only waited for him to come out so she could rightfully join the PFLAG association...). At this point Adam seems the perfect man and maybe he is single since he can't find another perfect man like him to much such perfection... but sincerely I think that Adam is a rather spoiled son. Thanks to his look and his fine mind, and a big dose of fortune, always went right in his life, he has never seriously fought for anything.Lucky for him, his mother has a long sight, and convinces him to temporarily move to New York City... maybe in the Big Apple he will have more chance to meet new people, and maybe, his mother think, he will have more challenges to face than in small town Eau Claire, and the challenges will serve him to grew a bit. And instead, according to the rule of the six degrees of separation, Adam manages to rebuild the little circle he had in his small town even in New York. First he meets Blythe, a struggling young artist, then Sheila, the sister of one of his hometown friends, who is roommate with Blaine, another hometown boy moved to NYC. Blaine is boyfriend with Daniel, who went to high school together with Adam, and whom Adam pursued with stupid jock jokes when they were young. Daniel is also the ex boyfriend of Jeremy, a man Adam briefly met in a coffe shop and who is become his obsession. Adam will do anything to meet the man since he is finally fallen in love... but really, to my opinion, Adam is more in love with the idea to be in love than with Jeremy himself.
And my idea is confirmed by the fact that, for almost all the book, Jeremy is a distant figure, like a haunting ghost who appears and disappears; Adam has never really the chance to be with him, even if he manages to meet all the people around him and to frequent all the same places. And more he pursues his "love" more people are telling him how awful and absolutely no boyfriend material Jeremy is. Strange to say, the only one who doesn't talk badly of him is his ex boyfriend Daniel, the man Jeremy cheated on.. (Daniel's story with Jeremy and then Blaine is told in It Had to Be You, I didn't know the two books were related, and I mistakenly bought the second book).Anyway, while chasing his love dream, Adam has the chance to finally come out from his mother's egg nest: even if Adam came out to his parents when he was 18 years old, he for real never come out from their protective range. But Adam confirms his luck, and even in the big city, and alone from his family, he always manages to obtain what or who he wants.
Amazon: He's The One
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First of all I'm shallow, but I was enticed by the cover since the first moment I saw it. It's perfect for the book, a story of a young boy who is starting to discover the BDSM world, but he likes it "vanilla", he mostly likes to be spanked, and what is better than a pretty bum to suggest it?Nick is a young art student who is working for a famous male erotica photographer, Damian, to make the ends meet. Since the beginning he is a brat, always answering back to Damian even for the smallest things. Truth be told, if not for the turn in their relationship, there were no real reason for Damian to take Nick around, even if he is a pretty boy. But then Ashley, a quite strange fairy godmother of the Doms and subs, and good friend of Damian, asks to the man to shot his next catalogue of sex toys and leathers, and thanks to the fate, Nick finds himself to model the first innocent pieces for Damian.
Nick is not gay, or at least he thinks so, and he was never interested in the kinky aspects of love, but seeing around all the things and having the chance to be the center of attention for Damian let him eager of more. To Nick, so young and naive, it seems impossible to satisfy Damian, so hard and precise in his work, and maybe, even before this catalogue work comes around, Nick was trying to find a way to impress his boss. Even if he doesn't realize it, Nick is a top from the bottom, he likes to be in center stage and he likes when all Damian's attention is turned toward him. He wants to be the only man in Damian's life, and if this means being a sub, well, he will try. But truth be told, Nick is a real vanilla sub, he likes to dress like a little girl with her mother dress, and he likes to be spanked, but better if possible with bared hands, or at least with nothing that leaves permanent bruises. More than the pain, what Nick likes, and excites him, is being the focal point of their sexual plays. Nick is a bit of an hedonist, and maybe he also needs a strong hand to control and direct him.
Damian on the other hand, has tried all and now is more or less tired of all. He is not searching for a sub, he is quite content with his work and his life, and probably he doesn't want the burden of an untrained sub, on top of than also so much younger than him. So he really doesn't miss anything when he realizes that with Nick he will have to respect some limits, things that a real Dom will never accept. Actually between the two, the one who always risk their relationship is Damian, he is always questioning if he is doing right, and sometime he is so blinded by his own insecurities that he doesn't realize that he is neglecting his sub. Where Nick is not exactly the role model for a sub, Damian is not at all the strong and steady Dom, even if people around him praise his mastery... I have the feeling that Damian is more an artist of the BDSM world more than a real player. Probably if not for the fairy godmother Ashley, they will never get together for good (and Ashley is a very nice supporting character, I like that also him has his personal love story inside the book).
So in the end I have the feeling that both Nick than Damian are more playing to be Dom and sub, than being the real thing. This also allow to the book to be light and funny, and accessible to all type of readers, even those who have some boundaries on BDSM, as I said, the most you will find in this book is a cute spanked pink bum.
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/current
Amazon Kindle: A Strong Hand
Amazon: A Strong Hand
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In a previous book always by Fae Sutherland for Ellora's Cave, her main character was a boy whom second name could have been "Pollyanna", he was so naive and with a pink glasses perspective of the world that people avoided to wound him to not seeing him cry. One of the character of this story, Alex, is innocent and trusting like that one, but more than a Pollyanna story, this is a naughty version of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf.When Alex meets Joshua, he knows that the other boy, even if only 21 years old against his 18, is way more experienced, he also wonders, the first time he finds himself in his bed, how many other innocent boy has lost their virginity in that bed. Yes, since Alex, barely 18 years old and for the first time far from home (even if "far" are only 40 miles) is meeting his fate as soon as he steps out of the safe shelter of his home; he is an easy prey for hungry wolves, and the first to spot him is Joshua. Joshua is an art student who "catches" Alex with the excuse of him being his muse and his absolute need to paint him... strange that, when Alex agrees to come into his lair, all thoughts about paintings disappear and instead Joshua begins the "hard" task to debauch the virgin... Never once in all the book Alex really models for Joshua ;-) Oh, well, it's pretty clear that it's not a paint that Joshua wants from Alex.
But now don't think that Joshua is a bad guy who passes from virgin to virgin (also since it's not so easy to find one, and when you manage, it's a good idea to not let him escape...): Joshua is really gentle with Alex, and their only troubles are those little silly thing that always happen between young lovers: why hasn't he called me? should I go to look for him? Almost all the troubles arrive from Alex that is still very young, not out with his family, and a bit self-conscious with his body. Alex is not a "beautiful" man, but above all he is still not a man: he is a boy and he has still all the insecurities of that age. There is maybe a bit of yaoi here (and the author even make a note on it), with Alex playing the blushing uke, unaware of his attributes (that most of all are the fact that he is virgin), and Joshua in the role of the gentle seme... yes, yes, Alex blushes, whimpers, pleases, but well he is cute and tender like a puppy, so I can't not feel a "maternal" instinct towards him... Ahah "maternal"? well, yes, Alex is not exactly the hero that arouses my sexual fantasies, but considers that Joshua, even if a bit more experienced, it's only 21 years old, so not much more adult than Alex.
There a little angst, with Alex's incapability to come clear with his family, but truth be told, it's soon resolved and the author even let us have a glimpse on Alex and Joshua's life in the future... another proof that Joshua is not interested in Alex only as his "muse".
http://www.jasminejade.com/p-7038-joshua
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Peter is an aggressive reporter... well, not exactly... he is a wanna-to-be aggressive reporter and in the meanwhile he is also a wanna-to-be porn screenwriter, means that he is really good in imagining himself involved in torrid relationship with men that he barely knows and that probably don't even remember his name. And so Peter is outside a building after finishing his sleuthing "nightly" work to uncover the secret of an illegal russian brothel (sound pretty daring, isn't it?), fantasizing about Nick, a reclusive artist who has a studio beside the one of his best friend and roommate. Peter is trying to find the courage to ask Nick out on a date, when he hears screaming and entering the building finds Nick above the body of a dying artist, Shelley. Peter has no doubt that Nick is innocent, even if he is caught "red handed" (literally), and his past is not so "clean".
I like Peter, he is the classical example of unwilling hero; but he has also an "innocence" in him that is charming. When asked by the police, why he was outside the building he has no problem to say that he was daydreaming on the main suspect of the murder. When asked by that same man, Nick, why he is snooping around the building after the murder, he has no problem to admit that he was trying to find a way to ask him out: pay attention, actually Peter doesn't ask Nick out on a date, he says that he would like to find a way to ask him out... speaking of talking your mind.
Anyway Peter has some integrity on his work, but he is not the classic strong and pure reporter who would sell his mother for the truth: Peter has a crush on Nick, and so he is not willing to write something that can harm him. Yes, Peter is really convinced that Nick is innocent, so he is not hiding the true, but still, a "real" reporter would first publish the news and then ask to himself if he has done the right thing.
On the other hand, unfortunately the book is too short to give us a clear idea on Nick. He is an interesting character, very fascinating and mysterious, but not all his hidden secret are unveiled in the end... maybe this is a choice of the author, to preserve his mystery aurea, but still I wouldn't mind to know something more about him.
The love story between Nick and Peter is sweet and romantic, and really "easy"; I believe that the disarming behavior of Peter in a way draws Nick onto his trap: Peter is so open and without defense, that Nick couldn't believe him able to do any harm, and so Nick is more willing to let Peter near him than any other men in his past.
The mystery is good, there are a lot of possible suspects, all of them with a plausible reason, and so, till the end, everyone could be the one. Truth be told, I don't pay many attention to the mystery, since I was more interested in knowing if and when Peter's work would be clash with his relationship with Nick, or if, due to his inner innocence, Peter would escape without harm.
http://www.loose-id.com/prod-Primal_Red-8
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Cover Art by April Martinez
Everytime I read a new book by Z.A. Maxfield I wonder how can she manage to write something new everytime, and still be original and better than before. If you pick one per one all the books she wrote in less than a year, and try to compare them, it's almost like they are written by different authors. There is only one thing that is certain, that the two characters will fall in love and that their romance will be wonderful, even if not simple.This last book starts as a funny romp to go through a thriller story and end as a big Hollywood comedy; the middle part reminds me a bit that movie with Cary Grant, North by Northwest, with a simple man that finds himself in a story bigger than him and forced to play the role of an unwilling knight in shining armor. Well to be exact, Rory, our unwilling hero, at first is not so unaware that he is embarking in something big and unknown. From a small town of less than 1000 people, he falls in love with the work of a Japanese artist, Ran Yamane. People who knows him are not surprised: Rory has a big heart and is a very good boy, but he seems to not have the reputation of a very clever man. But he has dreams, and when Katrina upturns down his life and leaves him with nothing, Rory clings to that dreams: he will find Ran Yamane, the artist who draws a comic that is become Rory's only bond to reality, and he will sweep her away in a crazy dance under the moon and she will love him. And they will be happy.
And so when Ran Yamane comes to California for an anime convention, Rory takes all his worldly possession, spends his last money to buy flowers, and stays in line for dazzling the girl with his smile. Only that the girl is not a girl, but a man, a man older than Rory, and way more experienced and not so easily impressed. Yamane is beautiful, no doubt, but Rory is not ready to forget the little details that he is not gay, not even for an handsome man like Yamane.
I like that Rory, without being grossed out or disappointed about Yamane, doesn't either immediately falls at his feet. Rory has dreams, dreams about a girl, and he can't change them without notice when he discover that Yamane is a man; he needs time to assimilate the news and to reprogram his mind on this new turn. But even if he needs time to decide if he wants to go on with his romantic plans on Yamane, he has no doubt on the artist and the man: Yamane needs help, he needs a knight in shining armor, and Rory will be that knight, even if he will not immediately profit of the grace of the damsel in distress. Rory faces this new adventure as if he is playing with a new videogame; he plans his move, he hides his traces, and he for real sweeps Yamane away but not for dancing under the moon, but in a run through the country. As a good player, Rory has aces in the sleeves, means that he has friends scattered all around the country, everyone the face of the state in which they live, from the party girl in Las Vegas, to the mormon in Utah, to the cook in Louisiana, every single supporting character is like a piece in a country puzzle. And when he has not a friend in the place, Rory is ready to tighten new bond of friendship: no one seems able to resist to his southern charm. Neither Yamane.
Yamane is a strange character; at first he probably doesn't believe in Rory, he thinks he is an overgrown puppy, an adoring fan like all the others. And since he doesn't believe in him, he also doesn't believe in their story, and he doesn't fight enough for it. And when their relationship becomes intimate, he approaches it like a carpe diem thing, takes as much as you can since maybe tomorrow it will be over. Again Yamane doesn't trust Rory to be serious. I don't know if Yamane is worried since Rory is too young, too straight, a bit of both... Probably it's also a cultural clash, even if used to live in USA (he is also half American), Yamane is also Japanese, and Japanese man always follows a strict etiquette, in everything they do, and instead Rory is an outburst of energy, always in motion. And then Rory tends to do thing without informing Yamane, and this is not good since, even if he is not aware of it, doing so he is dismissing Yamane as a man and a partner. I really think that Rory is not aware of it, he is only young, and obviously used to having relationship with girls, and above all with southern girls. From what I know, southern girls are really good in making their men doing what the women want believing that it's what the men want to do; they don't talk but they are really good in directing behind the scene. And so Rory is not used to give explanations, but Yamane, on the other hand, is not good in reading between the lines. Even if small and apparently fragile, Yamane doesn't like to be treated as a woman, even if, truth be told, he likes to be the center of of attention.
All right, at this point you have understood that I can go on for thousand of words, always finding something new, some new side, some new perspective for the story. Not only the two main characters are complex and interesting, the book is also full of funny and various supporting characters, don't get me start with Rory's grandparents, or the various police officers, even the evil men have their "positive" side.
http://www.loose-id.com/prod-Drawn_Toget
Amazon Kindle: Drawn Together
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Cover Art by P.L. Nunn
Max is a not so struggling artist who lives as he likes: openly gay he has the reputation to be a good lover but not a constant one, he only does one night stand. So when his sister Jenn comes to live with him and she sets her eyes on Quinton, the CEO of the firm on which Jenn has a big shares, Max recognizes in him a twin soul, only the "straight" version: Quinton is famous in the city to be the most wanted bachelor, but he is never serious with his conquests. Since Jenn is a very nice girl, innocent and sweet, Max will not let Quint treat her like another notch in his belt. He manages to meet Quint in private and he goes all Big Brother with him.First time Quint sees Max, he immediately realizes that he would prefer to have the handsome man in his bed rather than his sister; and when Max threatens him, Quint reacts as only a business man would do, with a private agreement: he will stay far from Jenn (at least from her bed) if Max will be his boy toy. Quint really doesn't imagine that Max will agree to his proposal, also since he doesn't know that the man is gay. And when Max instead simply says "yes", he isn't expecting for him to take the lead role in the relationship. Quint always played the role of the boss, something he learnt from his father; both Quint and his father were good men, with old fashion idea on what is private life and what is work, your private persona should not interfere with your public imagine, and with "strangers" you have always to play the detached and aloof role of the business man... never letting know to your enemy that you have an heart.
Quint took a bit too seriously his role, and now he actually doesn't have a private life; and since he lost his father, his only relatives, he now has no one with whom he could show his true self; he is captive of his public persona, and neither Max, at first, can see beyond it. But when Quint lets for a moment the mask go, Max finds a different man in bed with him, someone who needs tenderness and assurances. It's quite interesting to read the shifting in role between Max and Quint: no one of them is a perfect leader and no one of them is a perfect follower. I believe that both of them built a shield against the world, Quint becoming the cold business man, Max the careless don juan, but behind that shield, they are both men with deep emotions, sometime also easy to be carry away from them; when they are with someone they trust, or when they believe to be alone, they are also men who doesn't fear to prove their feelings even with tears. But even if they cries a lot, I don't have of them the impression that they are weak, in a way they are like all the artists should be: to pass on emotion they need to feel harder than anyone else.
It's a very romantic love story, with an heavy push on the romantic side; I like as both main characters are completely involved in the relationship from the first moment, and as they prove it both with words than signs; I like as they are weak in front of their feelings but not in front of the world; and I like as they take the responsibility for their mistakes and try to righten them.
http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/Wo
Amazon: The Wolfe Proxy
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Itsuki and Tokiwa were friend when Tokiwa was still a struggling artist. Even if young and without money, Tokiwa was a proud man and also a persistent one; his interested for Itsuki went beyond friendship and he told so to the boy. He was gently wooing the man when sudden and serious family issue forced Itsuki to accept the proposition of an older artist, Yamabe, to become his personal assistant in all for all, almost a pet for the man to play as he please. Itsuki was forced to stop to seeing Tokiwa without giving the man a reason.Years later Itsuki knocks to Tokiwa's door: Yamabe is dying and the old man wants to make Tokiwa the full recipient of all his possession. Tokiwa includes in them also Itsuki, and with the help of an injury who forces Itsuki to accept Tokiwa's hospitality, Tokiwa takes Itsuki in captivity. Day after day Tokiwa destroys the doll image that Yamabe built for Itsuki, but at the same time treats the man no more than an object, arriving also to rape him.
The rape is dealt as always in the japanese yaoi world, Itsuki protests vehemently against Tokiwa forced seduction, but in the end his body betrays him, arriving to crave Tokiwa's touch. In this novel maybe the contrast is more heavy, since Itsuki's mind doesn't accept Tokiwa, and almost till the end Itsuki continues to refuse Tokiwa's attention.
The book is pretty interesting, I don't know how much realistic... the idea of an adult man who is treated like a doll only for the pleasure of eyes is quite unbelievable; plus Itsuki's behavior is a bit too submissive, first with Yamabe and then with Tokiwa, sometime it makes me want to scroll the boy and push him to react in some way.
There is a lot of sex, Tokiwa and Itsuki's relationship is very intimate, above all since Tokiwa is forced to take care of Itsuki in all the most intimate moment when he is injured; but even if a lot, the sex is almost detached, not very graphic. Maybe also for this reason, when Tokiwa forced Itsuki, it is even more strong and unsettling.
Amazon: Gentle Cage (Yaoi Novel) (Yaoi Manga)
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Reading a Christmas romance in July, when outside the sunny shines is strange, but well, maybe you can find refreshment... even if an hot D/s erotic romance is not the likely place where to find coldness. Joke apart, this is the sequel of Collared Hearts. Anthony is an Italian-Irish painter and various artist who is leaving since ten months (from Valentine's Day) with his lover and agent Josh. Before their cohabitation, Josh and Anthony were lovers, but the relationship was more of the type rich daddy and kept man, with Josh in the role of the snobby wasp who found themself a pretty lover, who happened to be also a good artist which works he sold in his gallery. Always feared to be passed as sissy by his brothers and friends since he was small and pretty, Josh behaved in a cold way with Anthony, who felt like a sexual toy rather than an equal partner.
Now they have reached an agreement, they switch role, using the help of a collar to decide who is the pet: who is wearing the collar has to behave as a good pet, and the collar is also a tool which allows who is wearing it to be free from the duties and the demands of everyday life; who is wearing the collar has to obey only to one Master, and not to the obligation of common society.
A funny and relaxing D/s short story, less than 50 pages, not too angst and compelling, with a sweet and romantic side.
http://www.king-cart.com/Phaze/product=F
Series:
1) Collared Hearts: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/10074
2) Frosted Hearts
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A bit of Cinderfella meets Prince Charming and Bad Boy meets Angel Boy.Mohan (I like this name, it's very sexy...) is a 35 years old tattoo parlor owner and artist. Of Indian (from India) origins, he left home and family as a young boy when he refused to marry a good Indian girl. Since then he had some bad relationships mostly with men who didn't want to be seen with him, a clearly etnic guy who doesn't hide to be gay.
Aaron is an executive manager, a VP in the hotel where Mohan opened his tattoo parlor. 28 years old, Aaron really has never had problems in his life: he is the perfect son of a perfect family; probably if he found the reason to coming out with his family, he would do that, but in this moment he doesn't see why he has to risk his good image for nothing. But when nothing becomes Mohan, and he instead risks to lose the man, Aaron is willing to do everything to prove his interest.
Unfortunately the book is not very long, less than 80 pages, but I like it. It's romantic and sweet, but it has also a naughty little side: both Mohan than Aaron aren't shy in prove their sexual interest in many way, and both of them have a dominant side that makes the lovemaking really hot. There aren't really dramatic scenes or twist in the story, and all the conflicts are resolved in a pretty smooth and simple way: maybe I'd like to read a little more on Aaron and Mohan common life, how they manage to find a common path together; it would be interesting to see also their interaction as couple with the outside world.
All in all a fast and enjoyable reading, that I think it proves Cheryl Dragon's skilled hand in writing erotic romance (not only M/M).
P.S. Very hot cover from Christine M. Griifth
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Cover Art by Christine M. Griffin
Jeremy is a 22 years old college student. From a middle class family, handsome and friendly, he is like thousands of other students. But Jeremy has a secret: he likes men. Born in a conservative family, he has always thought that his being gay is a drama, something he needs to hide to no lose all his friends and the love of his family. Plus, told be truth, his family is not at all the supportive american family you see in television fiction: a spoilt sister, a father who borders on alcoholism and a mother who not loses a chance to make him feeling ungrateful.
But when Jeremy sees his art teacher, Peter, he is taken. Peter is a 34 years old successful artist who accepted a work as college professor to prove to his family that he has a worthy work. Not that like an artist he isn't doing good money, but being an artist is not a "real" work. Plus Peter is a divorced man, newly wedded to a too young bitch: a woman he has married in a drunken night in a fast marriage chapel in Las Vegas.
Both Jeremy or Peter haven't noble reasons to do what they done. Jeremy is a horny young man who has the hots when he sees his professor; when he learns that the object of his desires is married, he feels a bit of pain, but not regret and this little fact means nothing to his intention to seduce the handsome professor. And Peter doesn't think twice to engage in a relationship with a much younger man, one of his student. And the fact that he is married seems not important since the wife is a spoilt bitch who deserves only to be thrown out of his bed.
Reading this you could rightly think that I don't like Jeremy or Peter... and you are wrong! I like them both, cause they are "real", they are not the fake perfect heros of an usual romance. And also the supporting characters, in their exasperated characterization, are perfect. Everything in this romance is amplified to excess, but it's only a means to underline how the characters are "normal" and "day-to-day": don't miss the family's quarrels of Jeremy, or the jealousy's scenes of Peter's wife.
I like very much G.A. Hauser's style, all her characters are so full of faults: when Jeremy is asked to go home to support his father in a difficult moment, he regrets the lost chance to have a weekend of sex with his lover; when Peter has to face an inequity treatment, not only toward him, but also toward him being gay, he doesn't raise his head in an impetus of rightful indignation, but simple turn his shoulders and go away... Peter and Jeremy are not heros, they are like the men you cross on the street every day, maybe only a little more handsome!
http://www.king-cart.com/Phaze/product=T
Amazon Kindle: Teacher's Pet
Amazon: Teacher's Pet
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Giving Up the Ghost is not the usual G.A. Hauser's novel: no british brat and no cops...If the blurb had not already revealed the secret, I would not have said it, but since it's pretty clear readind it... Ryan has lost his lover 2 years before on Christmas night. He is still grieving and he has no intention to stop. But someone else is not of the same idea: Evan appears on his doors and makes feel Ryan feeling long ago buried. But Evan is not real, he is a ghost: he is dead the same day of Victor, Ryan's lover, and now he wants that Ryan meets and loves Paul, his lover. It's like a gift that Evan wants to leave to his beloved and Ryan is the right man.
The first part of the book is almost all spent describing Ryan and Evan's relationship: Paul is only a name, a side character. And actually, even if Ryan is sexually attracted by Evan, the ghost doesn't make a move on him: he tries only to convince Ryan that he is ready to love again.
If I have to be sincere, of all the characters involved, Ryan, Evan, Paul and also Victor (who has a little role himself), I like best Evan. All right, he has to put together Ryan and Paul, but for all the book I waited to read of him and felt sorry for him and for his sad fate.
Ryan is a good character: he is almost funny in his naivete, he did things that you, from the reader point of you, could only think as totally wrong: had he say all? couldn't he only meet Paul, love him, and take Evan a secret? Oh, no, he has to tell to Paul all till the more little detail and risk to lose him.
And Paul? Why he is always so ready to think bad? why he has always to shut up like a clam? fortunately he is also ready to rethink and to step backwards.
Pity that we don't have the chance to know better Victor: maybe of all the character, he would be the more steady (even if he is a ghost...)
Giving Up the Ghost is a sweet romance, with a lingering taste of sadness. And reading it, try not to be too sympathetic with Evan, remember, Ryan is not for him but for Paul...
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Amazon: Giving Up The Ghost
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The first part of the book is almost all spent describing Ryan and Evan's relationship: Paul is only a name, a side character. And actually, even if Ryan is sexually attracted by Evan, the ghost doesn't make a move on him: he tries only to convince Ryan that he is ready to love again.
If I have to be sincere, of all the characters involved, Ryan, Evan, Paul and also Victor (who has a little role himself), I like best Evan. All right, he has to put together Ryan and Paul, but for all the book I waited to read of him and felt sorry for him and for his sad fate.
Ryan is a good character: he is almost funny in his naivete, he did things that you, from the reader point of you, could only think as totally wrong: had he say all? couldn't he only meet Paul, love him, and take Evan a secret? Oh, no, he has to tell to Paul all till the more little detail and risk to lose him.
And Paul? Why he is always so ready to think bad? why he has always to shut up like a clam? fortunately he is also ready to rethink and to step backwards.
Pity that we don't have the chance to know better Victor: maybe of all the character, he would be the more steady (even if he is a ghost...)
Giving Up the Ghost is a sweet romance, with a lingering taste of sadness. And reading it, try not to be too sympathetic with Evan, remember, Ryan is not for him but for Paul...
http://www.lindenbayromance.com/product-g
Amazon: Giving Up The Ghost
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Gabriel is a location scout from Los Angeles who is travelling all around Nova Scotia to find a location for an upcoming movie. He thinks to have find the perfect place when he sees Marc's house, a 150 years old house perched on a cliff with a private beach. But Marc is like an hermit, growing alone with an old grandmother and now totally alone with only the company of Bogart, a golden retriever. And he has no intention to allow to a crew to invade his home. He is also a very good artist, whose paintings are in museums and sold very well, but all the practical things are managed by his agent, and he lives only to paint and walk in the sand. He has a disorganized life, sleep and eat when he wants. And he doesn't have a lover.When Gabriel and Marc meet it's all of sudden passion. Marc seems to have not enough of Gabriel, but still he can't think to leave his reclusive life. If Gabriel wants to tag alone, fine, but he will not change his lifestyle for him. It's not a conscious choice, it's more a question of life or death. Really Marc is a very interesting character, but I think he has also some issues when he arrives to relationship. He is maybe like the classical artist, with the mind lost in his thoughts and reality that only here and there breaks the cloud.
Gabriel quarrels with Marc's agent, pretending she treats Marc as an adult, but in the end also him allows Marc to be as he likes. It's good for Marc that Gabriel is a good man, cause he is too naivee to face bad realities. Marc is not mad, but he is not "normal": if someone tried to open his eyes he could kill the man who is.
The book is very erotic, even if Gabriel doesn't try to change Marc, he opens him to the almost unknown sex world. And there are plenty of things to discover...
http://www.torquerebooks.com/zencart
Amazon: The Painted House
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Cover Art by Rose Meloche
Anthony and Josh are lovers since ten months. Apparently they are a perfect couple, but during the privacy there are some problems: Josh has some fears he can't overcome. Cause his tiny looks and his accultured behaviour, he can easily be mistaken for a bottom, and he absolutely can accept it. He is the Master, he is in control. So he categorically refuses every sex act that sees him as a bottom: no anal sex, no blowjobs, he even refuses to kiss his lover after receiving a blowjob by him. Anthony is puzzled: he loves Josh, really; Josh is protective and nice, but still he feels like a whore when his lover buy him dinner, or pay his due or rent. And then Josh brings in their relationship a Master/Slave perspective and Anthony sees the chance to "force" a little his lover: forcing him to lose his control, maybe will unveil his true nature, and a collar will be the only masque Josh will need to hide his fear and free his spirit.
A very short novel but beautifully written. The relationship between Anthony and Josh is decipted in fast stroke but it manage to give you a whole and deep perspective of this couple. The character of Josh is complex and in evolution: first he is hateful and spoilt, then needing and lovely; you can't not love him, he is too cute (but don't say it to him, he can bite you back...)
http://www.king-cart.com/Phaze/product=C
Amazon Kindle: Collared Hearts
The story of Daniel and Aube begin in the middle of their relationship. They are togheter since three year now, and during the story we come to know that Daniel has met Aube in a Montreal Hospital after Aube has tried to committe suicide cause a rape and the ostinately refuse of his mother to accept his omosexuality. Daniel is a former soldier, now self-defense instructor, both for the police than for social assistance. He is big and gentle, quite and strong. He loves Aube and believe in him like man and artist. He wants that his lover learn again to fly.
Aube is a flamboyant canadian artist, all energy. He can't be still for long, and he needs Daniel in his life to balance all this energy. But Daniel is not a oppressive character, he doesn't put Aube in a fluffy box and hides him from the world. Like he says in the book, Aube is like a butterfly who has to fly and he is the ivy where he can find rest.
In this book you will not find so much sex, but instead a story of two men who fight against the world to build a life togheter. I can't say which character I love more between Daniel and Aube: they are different like fire and water, but like fire and water they are essential to life, and you can't have one without the other...
http://www.torquerepress.com/
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